Point buy Lizardfolk Aberrant Mind sorcerer

[Ogun]

We are building characters for a coastal campaign and I'm excited to try this combination.
Dm is allowing point buy for the first time.
What spread should I use?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Can you use the Tasha's ability score and proficiency reassignments? I'll assume you can, considering Lizardfolk otherwise has fairly poor ability score bonuses for a Sorcerer.

You could go Str 8, Dex 15, Con 15+1, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 15+2, or you could go Str 8, Dex 15, Con 15+1, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 14+2, depending on what feats you plan to take and what level you reasonably expect to reach. You could plan to take a half-feat like Fey Touched, Shadow Touched, or Telekinetic for +1 Cha, which means starting with Cha 17 is worthwhile, but then you need another half-feat to even out Dex. You could start Cha 16, take a Cha half-feat, and even out both of those with your next ASI. Or start Cha 17, take two Cha half-feats, and put an ASI into Cha and Dex, or start Cha 17 and take a Cha half-feat and a Dex half-feat. In any case plan to get Metamagic Adept at some point to get more metamagic options.

[Ogun]

Ouch, that's a lot of single digits.
Hmm, I think I'll go with their other offer, 4d6, drop the lowest, my choice one of two sets.

I'm reconsidering lizardfolk as well.
A mountain dwarf gets a better AC, with medium armor plus shield.
No swim speed or waterbreathing , but I could dip Fathomless for that.

On the other other hand, If I'm gonna dip Warlock anyway, I could dip Hexblade on the Lizardfolk, getting Medium Armor and Shield Proficiency.
I would still down one AC, comparing Dex +Shield+Breastplate to Dex +Shield +Natural Armor.
No upper limit on Dex bonus to Natural Armor but there is a practical limit.
Lizardfolk do have a lot of ribbons, too bad proficiency with the weapons and armor they can make isn't among them...

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Mountain Dwarf doesn't get shields, just light/medium armor.

You can dip Hexblade on a Lizardfolk and still wear the medium armor. Hexblade also gets proficiency with simple and martial weapons, but doesn't enable you to use Cha with your bite attack.

If AC is your primary concern, go Warforged and take Warlock at 1st, and plan to pick up Resilient: Con later.

[Ogun]

Huh, I thought sheild proficiency was part of medium armor proficiency for some reason.
Warforged would be good, for AC and not drowning.
Not crazy about the flavor.

[micahaphone]

What's your starting level? I'm currently playing a lizardfolk warlock, and started with a 16 con and 15 dex/cha. It was rough until level 4 but that was just like 2 sessions of play for me.

[Hytheter]

Huh, I thought sheild proficiency was part of medium armor proficiency for some reason.

Probably because, afaik, every single ability granting medium armour proficiency except Mountain dwarf also grants shields. It's a weird exception, but an intentional one apparently.

[Bloodcloud]

Swimming/water breathing races:
Sea Elf
Water Genasi
Lizardfolk
Simic hybrid
Triton
Tortle (also gets base AC 17, no swimming but 1h breath)
Vedalken (somewhat, no swiming)
Warforged (no swimming)

Loxodon gets con based armor and could use the trunk like a periscope, which is somewhat funny.

[Ogun]

What's your starting level? I'm currently playing a lizardfolk warlock, and started with a 16 con and 15 dex/cha. It was rough until level 4 but that was just like 2 sessions of play for me.

Starting at first.
Are you wearing armor or going naked?

[Ogun]

What if I go straight sorcerer at least through 4th and lean into magic and range for defense?

Here is a ridiculous list of options I checked out.
The Shield spell uses up a precious spell slot.
It is essential, but I'm looking for defense that works every turn.
Unseen Servant would be a perfect fit thematically, it is inexplicably not on the sorcerer list.
Its so on theme, it makes me want to reconsider an early hexblade dip.
Otoh, it can only block one shot.
Mold Earth offers cover and concealment for an action, but suffers from a lack of available material, especially at sea.
Sand enough for a 1"x5" x 5" wall would weigh 200 pounds plus, so the Gaara Gourd isn't a viable solution.
Shape Water is on theme,and water will usually on hand, but regular water isn't cover or concealment, and I think freezing or coloring the water will add actions.
Mage Hand controled manikins, curtains or shields are considered abusive, ineffective or both.
Minor Illusion offers concealment, and it's on theme.

I think my predilection for clerics (dating back to Advance Dungeons and Dragons)
is messing with my expectations.
I'm not used to making compromises on theme in order to be resilient, most Domains choices seem to do both.
I'm gonna have to be less greedy.

OK, knuckling down I'm thinking Aberrant Mind 1/Hexblade 1/Aberrant Mind 5/Hexblade 1/Aberrant X
We might not get very far, so I do want some toys early.
I think I'll get something new at every level, though Font of magic at 3 will be useless.

[Wizard_Lizard]

I mean I've played one before, base scores are what you'd expect 10, 14, 16, 10, 11, 14..

[micahaphone]

Starting at first.
Are you wearing armor or going naked?

Just using the natural lizardman naked AC yeah. warlocks only have light armor so it's roughly the same anyway. I did explain the crappy strength score as him being an outcast from lizardman society, not that it comes up too often. I rarely have use of the hungry jaws but it is nice in an emergency. Also got silver tooth caps for fighting werewolves :smallbiggrin:

[borg286]

In my sig I've got an Aberrant Mind Sorlock that spreads out the warlock dips so it feels very much like a sorcerer. It goes into why each spell was selected and how it supports a given role.

What is your main motivation for picking lizardfolk? Would Yuan-ti give you the reptilian feel, or are you wanting the waterbreathing aspect? Realize that underwater adventures would most likely involve the whole team, and would thus need to solve breathing underwater together.

[Ogun]

I think your build brought me(back) to this forum !
I was just checking it out earlier today for spell choices.
I'll look again at how you stage the progression.
I found Lizardfolk looking for Draconic Sorcerer style AC on an Aberrent Mind and I stayed for the delicious flavor of lizard brainyness.
While I was mulling it over, my DM told us we were doing a new campaign
based on an island chain...
Since I proposed an amphibious character, most players have followed suit.
The Githyanki Artificer is the only "fish out of water" in this regard.

Micahaphone, love the tooth bling of were doom!

[Keravath]

1 level aberrant mind sorcerer. 1 level of hexblade warlock.

After that take sorcerer as many levels as you like or add another level of warlock when you want the second spell slot and the invocations.

Starting sorcerer gives you con saves. Warlock gives you medium armor+shields+eldritch blast+hex for decent single target damage when you want it. Otherwise, pick whichever race you want to play - start with at least 16 charisma. Plan for resilient wisdom in tier 3. Dex 14 to max AC in medium armor, con 14, rest to suit whatever you want to play.

[Ogun]

After all the great help here, the game has been delayed!
Which has given me time to reconsider everything...
Aberrant Mind isn't in and off itself particularly a support or utility subclass, and support /utility is my main jam.

I'm committed to a Lizardfolk charisma based full caster, and a dip for the shield proficiency.
But nothing else is firm anymore.
Oh well, for me, making characters is at least half the fun, so more time to agonize over choices is good!

[borg286]

To make the choice harder consider the College of Whispers Bard. Its Psychic Blades feature is comparable to Sneak Attack. At level 3 a Rogue is dealing the same 2d6, and dreams of getting another 2d6 from an opportunity attack. W/o that opportunity attack your extra damage is the same as the Rogue. You fall behind till level 7, 8, 9. But then at 10 you are ahead. While the rogue isn't wasting resources on getting these sneak attacks they are spending class features/levels/feats/actions on trying to get advantage. Your extra damage can be applied on a great sword, but sadly eats into one of your core class features. But compared with the Rogue, the bard gets a full suite of buff spells.

To further complicate it the sneak attack extra damage is also comparable with Booming Blade and GFB's extra damage when you look over the course of 20 levels. If the Bard somehow picks up BB or GFB, then you effectivly get 2 sneak attack's worth of extra damage. The cantrips get increased damage regardless of what class you are in, and College of Whispers on a bard rewards staying bard, but can be mixed and matched with Warlock, Sorcerer, and Paladin, all Cha-happy classes. The Paladin is very efficient when it comes to turning your spell slots into damage thanks to smite using resources after you know you already hit, compared with everyone else spending resources in hopes to deal damage. Mixing it with Bard gives you lots of spell slots to burn on smites. Sorcerer and Warlock get GFB and BB. Sorcerer has Shield. Hexblade and Paladin both get shield prof. Hexblade 5 gets you eldritch smite, which can be used with paladin smites.